Written by Andrew Lwanga, edited by Harshi Vashee
Aston Martin have announced Mike Krack, former head of BMW’s Motorsport division to be their new team principal. The announcement comes just one day after Marcin Budkowski, who had been linked with the role, had departed from Alpine.
Krack has had extensive experience in multiple branches of motorsport in various capacities. The Brit was a part of BMW- Sauber at the turn of the century and stayed in F1 for about a decade before having ventures in DTM and WEC, having done the latter with Porsche.
“It is a thrill and an honour to have been appointed to the position of Team Principal of Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team” said Krack ” I am very grateful to Lawrence [Stroll] and Martin [Whitmarsh] for giving me such a fantastic opportunity.
“Aston Martin is one of the greatest automotive brands in the world, and to have been asked to play a leading role in delivering the on-track Formula One success that such an illustrious name so richly deserves is a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm.
“I have been working in motorsport for over 20 years, and worked in Formula One with Seb Vettel in 2006 and 2007 when I was a BMW-Sauber engineer and he was the team’s test driver. I have huge respect for his speed and ability, and it will be fantastic to be reunited with him. Lance Stroll is a seriously fast and talented driver, too, with 100 Grands Prix starts to his name, and I am very much looking forward to working closely with him.
“Team Silverstone has always impressed me. It is full of talented people and real racers. That racer’s culture and values are what is required to succeed in motorsport. I know that and my new colleagues at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team know it, too. We will work incredibly hard. We want to win. Together, we will.”
Krack’s appointment is part of a number of changes spearheaded by owner Lawrence Stroll since his take over of the Silverstone based team in 2019. The Canadian has made no secret his aim to have the team be a Championship contender. Along with new appointments Aston Martin are currently building what they have termed, a state of the art campus at Silverstone.
Speaking on Krack, Stroll said “We are hiring brilliant new people every week. Our new factory build is coming along very well. We have a fantastic roster of superb sponsor-partners. We are about to embark on year two of our five-year plan, the objective of which is to win Formula One World Championships.
“All the ingredients we require are coming together. Mike will play a central and leading role, reporting to Martin Whitmarsh and leading our technical and operational functions, our collective aim being to fulfil those lofty ambitions. We are on our way”
Aston Martin also announced earlier in the day that they will unveil their 2022 car on the 10th of February from the Aston Martin Lagonda, headquarters in Gaydon.